Random, but true...
Both Chris Johnson of Lindenhurst and Floral Park's Billy Butler needed just one point to reach the 1,000-point mark going into their latest games. What's even stranger: both senior guards did so on three-pointers.
Lindenhurst coach John Albano already knew his standout was a point shy, but he conducted a pre-game presentation anyway (just to avoid stopping the game later) and teammates surrounded Johnson on the court and posed for pics. When the game started, Johnson had no idea his three-pointer – on the Bulldogs’ first possession of the game – had in fact put him in the exclusive club. But his 23 points in front of the home crowd weren't enough, as Babylon edged the Bulldogs, 58-55.
Billy Butler's milestone also came in a losing effort. Floral Park lost on the road to Westbury, 69-61, and like Johnson, Butler had no idea he was en route to something special last night. Being that his team was away, Knights coach Nick Simone didn’t stop the game to make an announcement and instead waited until the game ended to inform Butler of his feat. Not that it mattered to the senior guard anyway. Despite his 20 points (and 76 total points), the Knights are still winless at 0-4. No amount of personal accolades can make up for that in Butler's eyes, said his coach.
If Johnson continues on this hot streak, he'll easily break Lindenhurst’s all-time leading scoring record – which Albano believes is around 1,100. If he scores just 15 points a game, Johnson could end up shattering the record by at least 250. And there’s also a good chance Butler – who Simone believes is the best player to ever come through the Floral Park program – may make school history of his own this season.